Stealing, Saint Valentine
by Xain Vandel
Summary: Ten years after the end of Final Fantasy VII. The lonely guardian of the Ultima Materia gets an unexpected guest, and she is a tricky one. VincentxYuffie Oneshot. RnR please.


Here is a normal story, not a crossover in Final Fantasy. Shocking I am sure, hope my good friend likes it. He owes me a FFVIII story now. So read and review I want to see what it makes you feel like people. One shot, and for once I am trying for T rating. This a first, and probably a last for that.

The sweet isolation of the frozen plains was all that was left for Vincent Valentine. He didn't mind the cold, that is too say he didn't feel much at all, not for a long time anyway. The lonely monster of man sat in his little house in the middle of an everlasting snowstorm. With the way the world was, Vincent went into exile. With his past distorting his present, his future blank and apparently clear. With the trouble of Shinra lifted, and the death of Hojo. Vincent found himself in purgatory. His past was dealt with, and he began to feel emotions stronger and stronger. His love for Lucrecia slowly dissolving over time, and he was left with his thoughts; alone in the arctic tundras of the northern continent.

Ten years passed as Vincent protected the Ultima matria. He concluded that because of the struggling powers of man, Ultima was a hazardous temptation for heroes and villains alike. Ultima was not a toy, Vincent was now the guardian of the power, he appointed himself to the defense and burial of the gem. He would not allow the green blaze to destroy this world again. So he exiled himself out to the wastelands, for this act of protection seemed like the only purpose he could convince himself to waste his infinite amount of time on Gaia.

Vincent chose the northern continent for more than one reason. He slowly was losing control on the beast inside him. The man Hojo was annihilated, but his damage would forever be accounted by Vincent. There were whole nights where he would let loose and ravage the wasteland's monsters. This was to him, a resting place. The only land that allowed such a monster to live. Or so he thought.

The day started off with the same-old routine. Vincent awoke to the soft sound of snow against the window. His long black locks dangled over the red band on his forehead. He slept in a bed, discarding the old coffin. He constantly tried to adapt to the world around him. He didn't want to dive into his nightmares, even though they seemed long gone. Once in a great while they would return and haunt his uneasy mind. He wanted to live normally, he planed to do this until the last of his friends were gone. For he was immortal, because of his condition he was to out live the rest of his companions; and this hurt him. He knew one day, he would be all alone. So he insisted on living, on returning to Midgar once a year and meeting his compatriots in the Seventh Heaven. But he had not done so for s couple of years, for he had turned into monster he feared both times he had planned to go.

Vincent rose from his bed, with white sheets, white quilts and white pillow. He walked over and had a cup of coffee. Sitting down with an old book, he started to enjoy himself, as best as he could. He had began to read poetry, the verses, the morals of the stories; all of it reminded him of better days. It reminded him of Tifa and Cloud, with their youngest child. It reminded him of Barrett and his now Teenage Mallone. He reminisced of Shinra, and Lucrecia, and Hojo. It reminded him of Red XIII and his promise. Vincent was starting to fear again, starting to fear the passing of his friends, knowing to be inevitable.

He sat in the chair, his legendary red coat hanging near the door. All of his armor off, the gauntlet and the boots, but Cerberus was still at his side, and he never changed his clothes often. The black leather always encased most of his body, and the straps held the leather close to his body, if only to prevent him to look bigger then he actually was.

For years he had guarded the power of Ultima, and he felt well justified to execute any Shinra thieves that tried to sneak through his barriers. As he sipped the last of his coffee, he heard a small creak from the door. It was wide open. With one swift kick, Vincent was airborne, Cerberus in hand, firing at the shadow that had broken the tranquility of his morning delights. The bullets hit the background, and bookshelves, and floors, and walls. Never did he hit the elusive target. Then with the slightest resonance of steel, a large blade was against Vincent's throat from behind.

"Cease fire," Said a muffled voice from behind thick cloth.

Vincent took a deep breath trough his nostrils, then placed Cerberus on the bed to his right. "The single white rose of Wutai. You carry the aroma on you all the time huh?" Vincent said, calm knowing his safety was assured.

"Vincent? You're the guardian of the Ultima?" Yuffie muffled, sporadically waving her hands up and down now that they were no longer holding a oversized shuriken across Vincent's throat. "Where have you been? It's been a few years!"

Vincent turned around, and felt a little warmth growing up to his face, even though it was insanely cold. Our tough ninja was wearing white shorts and a white hoodie. No jacket, no gloves, just boots and a scarf. "Wow, it has been a few years huh?" Vincent's eyes scaled up and down Yuffie's young figure. She had filled in her body within the last few years. "You must be in your mid-twenties huh, kid?"

"I turn twenty-seven next month; but seriously how long have you been out here? I ask Cloud where the Ultima materia was, so I could help Wutai. He told me that there was guardian up north here in the snow lands. He didn't say it was you, he must have forgotten your exile." Yuffie said still cheerful, but in some ways a much more mature way then she used to be at sixteen.

"Well Cloud is busy living life. He has Tifa and a young one, what did they call the child?" Vincent said, with an uncommon smile of warmth, showing his concern for his friends.

"Go and ask them, you should go and visit. They would love to know you're still alive." Yuffie giggled.

"I still need time up here, and I don't mix with kids well either." Vincent said dolefully.

"Excuses, excuses!" Yuffie chimed like a young girl. "Look, I'm not with sympathy, you know. You're still having trouble controlling chaos, right?" Vincent nodded, "Well, then take your time, we can all wait to see you. With Shinra on the low key, and Sephiroth gone for good, we can all take some time and enjoy life."

"Wow, you really have grown, haven't you." Vincent said sitting down on his bed staring at her.

"Sorry Vince, but some of still grow older. You're still as perfect as you were when we meet ten years ago." Yuffie said, then blushed realizing her choice of words. Vincent one eyebrow cocked looking into her eyes. "I-I mean young, ahem, you are still as young as you looked back then."

"Things are complicated, I don't age, but I do feel time. I really have missed all of you. Especially you." Vincent said, being honest. He had always cared about her when she was young, being the child of their little band of heroes, Vincent always looked after her. Deep down in Yuffie, she felt the attraction too. They were different from the group, they could be left behind and never found, but they knew now, they had each other. "Look Yuffie, I've been through a lot over the years; but I always cared about you. I never really expressed how much you were to me back then. You were a shinning light in my brooding darkness, and I thank you."

"Oh Vince, I want to be honest with you too. Once Cloud and Tifa got together, I felt abandoned, I felt as though everyone one else had someone, or something. Then we meet up some time later, and I learned who you were, your past, your true self. I wanted to tell you, I've had a high school crush for a long time; but you disappeared, and no one knew where you were. So I gave up any chance of romance, and tried to help others. But now..."

"We have time, might as well use it." Vince said, knowing full well he had gone too far. He knew that once he touched her lips, it was an attempt to escape Lucrecia. To destroy his nightmare with the warmth of a young woman, a young woman who was all too fond of him, no matter how dark and demented his form was.

What proceeded was a night neither would forget. Kissing, lovemaking, silent passion drifting in the air, as the snow drifted along the cold atmosphere outside his little cottage. For once, for the longest time, Vincent felt warmth, felt human kindness and love. This was so distant, and now it was nestled nude in his arms. He could rest for his eternity now, he had lived that extra length, that little attachment to human affection. So he nuzzled into her, and fell silent in his bed.

Yuffie, young Yuffie felt alive. She felt aloof, as if she were flying with Vincent for hours along the skyline. She had found someone who knew her, he liked her for her. A thief, a good companion, and a tomboy. She found what made them, lovers, and now now she was content. She knew what she had to do though. She knew how to make this last, to make him hers.

Early the next morning Vincent, for the first time sleeping without his leather apparel, sat up in his bed and saw Yuffie assembling her gear to leave. "Leaving so soon?" He said, sullen, but not surprised.

"Yup, I am on a schedule now that I can't take Ultima, I need to find a different way to help my people." Yuffie ran up to the bed and planted one longing kiss on his lips before snatching his red headband. She cut off a long piece and replaced her headband with the blood red crimson of Vincent's pallet. "I'll keep this for collateral." Yuffie said feeling fresh and satisfied. With a small flash she was gone out into the cold ever-winter of the northern continent.

Vincent rose and dressed himself, blissful and serene. He had a sense of warmth not easily obtained. Then he noticed all the materia missing from his safe, his closet, and his bureaus. He had been duped. Rushing off, he went to the ancient capitol and dashed into the old forgotten inn. Under the bed, in a safe he had bound with a summoned monster, lay the Ultima. Not... Yuffie had killed the monster, opened the safe, and returned to his cottage as if everything was normal.

He began to feel contempt, and he felt as if all the words, all the emotions back and forth between the two had been a lie. But then he read the note she left in his safe and grinned. He dropped the paper and started back for his cottage.

The note read, "Dear Vince, I stole the Ultima. You must think I am betraying you. But You couldn't be farther from the truth. I love you, and I know there is room in that heart for me too. So I stole your gem, not to use. But to lure you. I knew you wouldn't give it too me, and I want you to come and join me. So get off your droopy butt and come get it. Love, and forever yours, Yuffie Kisaragi."

Vincent knew she was sincere. This was a game, a friendly game of cat and mouse, and he was ready to shake it up and play. The playful Yuffie awoke a part of Vincent he could never control, even more reckless then chaos. Love; and so Vincent threw his jacket on, his boots and gauntlet too, and walked out into the snowy tundra. "Playing hard to get now? I like this kid." Vincent chuckled as he leapt off into the sky and braved the skyline in search for the one that loved him so much, that she would cause the world reckless harm.

_And that is how the ninja stole the heart of Vincent Valentine _

Like it or not review this one shot for me.


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